Hybrid fiber/copper connector system and method

ABSTRACT

A hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly which permits repair of damaged fibers or copper conductors carried by a hybrid fiber/copper cable without requiring replacement of the entire connector assembly or the cable is disclosed. The hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly disclosed also allows individual hybrid fiber/copper connectors of the assembly to be converted from one gender to a different gender. The hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly disclosed also allows the individual hybrid fiber/copper connectors of the assembly to be converted from being hybrid fiber/copper connectors to being only fiber connectors or only copper connectors.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/606,793,filed Nov. 29, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,585, which application isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to connectors for communicationscable. More specifically, the present invention relates to hybridfiber/copper connector systems and methods.

BACKGROUND

It is known to provide portable cameras and other data or imagegathering devices with cable to provide power to the device and to carrydata to and from the device. As these devices have increased in image ordata gathering capacity, greater demand for bandwidth to carry data toand from the devices has arisen. One way of providing this increasedbandwidth is to use optical fiber for carrying data to and from thedevices.

However, optical fiber may not be able to provide an adequate powersupply for the devices, so it is still desirable to have copper or othermetallic wires extending to the devices. Hybrid cables including bothcopper wires and optical fiber within a single cable have been used tomeet the power and data transfer needs of these devices. Since thetechniques and devices for terminating and connectorizing copper andfiber cables are quite different, new connectors or methods ofconnecting such hybrid cables to each have been developed. These knownconnectors do allow interconnection of cables and devices but requirethat the entire connector be replaced if any one element of the cable orconnector are damaged. Common hybrid cables may include two or moreoptical fibers and one or more pairs of copper wires. If any of thesewires or optical fibers, or the termination of these wires or opticalfibers are damaged, the entire connector must be replaced and all of thewires and fibers re-terminated.

Improvements to hybrid connectors are desirable.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates generally to a hybrid fiber/copperconnector assembly. The present invention also relates to a hybridfiber/copper connector assembly which permits repair of damaged fibersor copper conductors carried by a hybrid cable without requiringreplacement of the entire hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly or thecable. The present invention also relates to connectors for hybridfiber/copper cables. The present invention further relates to a methodof repairing a hybrid fiber/copper cable and connector.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a hybrid fiber/copperconnector assembly provided in the form of a kit that allows conversionof a hybrid fiber/copper connector from one gender to a differentgender.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a hybrid fiber/copperconnector assembly that allows the hybrid fiber/copper connectors of theassembly to be converted from being hybrid connectors to being onlyfiber connectors or only copper connectors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the presentinvention and together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention. A brief description of the drawings is asfollows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hybrid fiber/copper connector assemblyhaving features that are examples of inventive aspects in accordancewith the principles of the present disclosure, the hybrid fiber/copperconnector assembly shown in a fully assembled configuration;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the hybrid fiber/copperconnector assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the first hybrid fiber/copperconnector of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the first inner housing half of thefirst hybrid fiber/copper connector of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the first inner housing half of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the first inner housing half of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the first inner housing half of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a rear end view of the first inner housing half of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the fiber optic adapter of the firsthybrid fiber/copper connector of FIG. 4, the fiber optic adapterconfigured to be placed within the first inner housing half of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the second inner housing half of thefirst hybrid fiber/copper connector of FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the second inner housing half of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the second inner housing half of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a rear end view of the second inner housing half of FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the second inner housing half takenalong line 15-15 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the conductor mount of the first hybridfiber/copper connector of FIG. 4, the conductor mount configured to beplaced within the second inner housing half of FIG. 11;

FIG. 17 is a front view of the conductor mount of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a side view of the conductor mount of FIG. 16 shown with theelectrical conductors removed;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the conductor mount retainer of thefirst hybrid fiber/copper connector of FIG. 4, the conductor mountretainer configured to be placed within the second inner housing half ofFIG. 11;

FIG. 20 is a top view of the conductor mount retainer of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a bottom view of the conductor mount retainer of FIG. 19;

FIG. 22 is a side view of the conductor mount retainer of FIG. 19;

FIG. 23 is a rear end view of the conductor mount retainer of FIG. 19;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the strength member clamp of the firsthybrid fiber/copper connector of FIG. 4, the strength member clampconfigured to be placed within the second inner housing half of FIG. 11;

FIG. 25 is a top view of the strength member clamp of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a front end view of the strength member clamp of FIG. 24;

FIG. 27 is a side view of the strength member clamp of FIG. 24;

FIG. 28 illustrates a top perspective view of the first inner housinghalf and the second inner housing half of the first hybrid fiber/copperconnector of FIG. 4 in a partially assembled configuration, the firstinner housing half and the second inner housing half configured to beremovably mounted together to form an inner connector assembly of thefirst hybrid fiber/copper connector of FIG. 4;

FIG. 29 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the first inner housinghalf and the second inner housing half of the first hybrid fiber/copperconnector of FIG. 4 in a partially assembled configuration;

FIG. 30 illustrates an outer housing of the first hybrid fiber/copperconnector of FIG. 4, the outer housing configured to receive the firstand second inner housing halves of FIGS. 28-29;

FIG. 31 illustrates a rear end view of the first hybrid fiber/copperconnector of FIG. 4, the first hybrid fiber/copper connector shown in afully assembled configuration;

FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 32-32 of FIG. 31;

FIG. 33 is an exploded perspective view of the second hybridfiber/copper connector of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly ofFIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of the first inner housing half of thesecond hybrid fiber/copper connector of FIG. 33;

FIG. 35 is a top view of the first inner housing half of FIG. 34;

FIG. 36 is a bottom view of the first inner housing half of FIG. 34;

FIG. 37 is a side view of the first inner housing half of FIG. 34;

FIG. 38 is a rear end view of the first inner housing half of FIG. 34;

FIG. 39 is a perspective view of the fiber optic connector retainer ofthe second hybrid fiber/copper connector of FIG. 33, the fiber opticconnector retainer configured to be placed within the first innerhousing half of FIG. 34;

FIG. 40 is a bottom view of the fiber optic connector retainer of FIG.39;

FIG. 41 is a top view of the fiber optic connector retainer of FIG. 39;

FIG. 42 is a side view of the fiber optic connector retainer of FIG. 39;

FIG. 43 is a perspective view of the second inner housing half of thesecond hybrid fiber/copper connector of FIG. 33;

FIG. 44 is a side view of the second inner housing half of FIG. 43;

FIG. 45 is a bottom view of the second inner housing half of FIG. 43;

FIG. 46 is a rear end view of the second inner housing half of FIG. 43;

FIG. 47 is a cross-sectional view of the second inner housing half takenalong line 47-47 of FIG. 46;

FIG. 48 is a perspective view of the conductor mount retainer of thesecond hybrid fiber/copper connector of FIG. 33, the conductor mountretainer configured to be placed within the second inner housing half ofFIG. 43;

FIG. 49 is a top view of the conductor mount retainer of FIG. 48;

FIG. 50 is a side view of the conductor mount retainer of FIG. 48;

FIG. 51 is a rear end view of the conductor mount retainer of FIG. 48;

FIG. 52 illustrates a top perspective view of the first inner housinghalf and the second inner housing half of the second hybrid fiber/copperconnector of FIG. 33 in a partially assembled configuration, the firstinner housing half and the second inner housing half configured to beremovably mounted together to form an inner connector assembly of thesecond hybrid fiber/copper connector of FIG. 33;

FIG. 53 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the first inner housinghalf and the second inner housing half of the second hybrid fiber/copperconnector of FIG. 33 in a partially assembled configuration;

FIG. 54 illustrates an outer housing of the second hybrid fiber/copperconnector of FIG. 33, the outer housing configured to receive the firstand second inner housing halves of FIGS. 52-53;

FIG. 55 illustrates a rear end view of the second hybrid fiber/copperconnector of FIG. 33, the second hybrid fiber/copper connector shown ina fully assembled configuration;

FIG. 56 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 56-56 of FIG. 55;

FIG. 57 illustrates a first quad fiber connector to be assembled bymounting together two of the first inner housing halves of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 58 illustrates a second quad fiber connector to be assembled bymounting together two of the first inner housing halves of FIG. 34, thesecond quad fiber connector configured to mate with the first quad fiberconnector of FIG. 57.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary aspects of thepresent invention that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughoutthe drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

The present disclosure relates to a hybrid fiber/copper connectorassembly. Aspects of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly includeeach connector having fiber and copper connecting components to connecttwo hybrid fiber/copper cables.

One preferred embodiment of a connector assembly permits repair ofdamaged fibers or copper conductors carried by a hybrid fiber/coppercable without requiring replacement of the entire connector assembly orthe cable. Aspects of the present disclosure also allow the hybridfiber/copper connectors of the assembly to be converted from one genderto a different gender. Further aspects of the present disclosure allowthe hybrid fiber/copper connectors of the assembly to be converted frombeing hybrid connectors to being only fiber connectors or only copperconnectors.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly 10having features that are examples of inventive aspects in accordancewith the principles of the present disclosure is illustrated. The hybridfiber/copper connector assembly includes a first hybrid fiber/copperconnector 12 and a second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 adapted tomate with the first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. The first hybridfiber/copper connector 12 may also be referred to herein as a femalegender hybrid fiber/copper connector and the second hybrid fiber/copperconnector 14 may be referred to herein as a male gender hybridfiber/copper connector.

Each of the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors 12, 14includes an inner connector assembly that is received within an outerhousing. The inner connector assembly 16 of the first hybridfiber/copper connector 12 is terminated to a segment of hybridfiber/copper cable carrying both optical fibers and copper wires.Similarly, the inner connector assembly 18 of the second hybridfiber/copper connector 14 is terminated to a segment of hybridfiber/copper cable carrying both optical fibers and copper wires. Onceterminated, inner connector assemblies 16, 18 are placed within theouter housings 20, 22 of the hybrid fiber/copper connectors 12, 14.

Before termination to the first and second hybrid fiber/copperconnectors 12, 14, each cable segment is inserted through an endcap/cable clamp 24, 26, respectively, that is threadably mounted to theouter housings 20, 22. The end caps 24, 26 are configured to clamp thehybrid fiber/copper cable segments to their respective hybridfiber/copper connectors 12, 14 and provide a weather tight seal at thecable receiving ends 28, 30, respectively, of the first and secondhybrid fiber/copper connectors 12, 14. Once the end caps 24, 26 havebeen threaded and the hybrid cable segments connected to the respectivehybrid connectors 12, 14, the first and the second hybrid fiber/copperconnectors 12, 14 can, then, be mated to each other to establish bothoptical and electrical connection between the two hybrid cable segments.The outer housings 20, 22 of the two connectors 12, 14 cooperate to forma secure and generally weather-tight cover about the connections of thefiber strands and copper conductors within the two connectors 12, 14.

A hybrid fiber/copper cable might be used in broadcast communications.For example, such a cable might be used to connect a camera to aproduction facility, such as at a sporting event or other entertainmentvenue. Certain known prior art assemblies for connecting segments ofbroadcast cable might require the use of a new assembly in case offailure of any single component within the assembly. Alternatively, thefailure of any of the contacts within either connector of a knownassembly might necessitate the retermination of one of the cablesegments.

As will be described in further detail below, the hybrid fiber/copperconnector assembly 10 of the present disclosure is configured to permitrepair or replacement of damaged components of the assembly. Referenceherein will also be made to certain examples of hybrid fiber/copperconnector assemblies that facilitate repair or replacement of damagedcomponents of the assembly without requiring the use of a new assemblythat are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US2006/0056769 A1 and US 2006/0233496 A1, the entire disclosures of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US 2006/0056769 A1 and US2006/0233496 A1 illustrate a schematic cross-section of a hybridfiber/copper communications cable that may be suitable for use with thehybrid fiber/copper connector assembly 10 of the present disclosure. Thehybrid cable, illustrated in FIG. 4 of US 2006/0056769 A1 and US2006/0233496 A1, includes a pair of jacketed optical fibers and fourjacketed copper wires, extending adjacent a linearly extending strengthmember. This is one example configuration of a hybrid cable that mightbe suitable for use with the hybrid connector assembly 10 of the presentdisclosure. Other configurations of hybrid cables are also known, withmore or fewer optical fibers and/or copper wires, which may also be usedwith the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly 10 of the presentdisclosure.

When used in the broadcast camera environment described above, one ofthe optical fibers may be used to transmit video and related audiosignals to the camera and the second optical fiber may be used totransmit video and audio captured by the camera to the productionfacility or some other location. One pair of copper conductors may beused to provide power to operate the camera, while the other pair ofcopper conductors may be used to provide communications between theproduction facility and the camera operator. The number of fiber strandsand copper conductors extending within the hybrid cable may be varied asrequired to support the desired usage and communication bandwidth of thecamera.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, the hybrid fiber/copperconnector assembly 10 of the present disclosure is configured to allowthe first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors 12, 14 of theassembly 10 to be converted from one gender to a different gender. Assuch, if an existing segment of a hybrid fiber/copper cable segment isterminated, for example, to a first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12(i.e., a female gender connector) and an available second segment of ahybrid cable is also terminated to a first hybrid fiber/copper connector12 (i.e., a female gender connector), the first hybrid fiber/copperconnector 12 may be disassembled and converted into a second hybridfiber/copper connector 14 (i.e., a male gender connector), withoutretermination of the cable segment. The converted male gender hybridfiber/copper connector 14 can, then, be mated to the female genderhybrid fiber/copper connector 12.

Furthermore, according to another aspect of the disclosure, the modularconfiguration of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly 10 of thepresent disclosure allows both the first and the second hybridfiber/copper connectors 12, 14 of the assembly 10 to be converted frombeing hybrid connectors to being fiber-only connectors (e.g., quad fiberconnectors) or copper-only connectors (e.g., having eight copperconductors).

Referring now to FIG. 4, an exploded view of the first, female gender,hybrid fiber/copper connector 12 is illustrated. The first hybridfiber/copper connector 12 includes a first inner housing half 32 and asecond inner housing half 34. The first and the second inner housinghalves 32, 34 detachably mate together to form an inner connectorassembly 16 of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. Once thefirst and the second inner housing halves 32, 34 are terminated to ahybrid cable and joined together, they are inserted into an outerhousing 20 of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, and as discussed above, before the hybrid cable segmentsare terminated to the inner connector assemblies 16, 18 of the first andsecond hybrid fiber/copper connectors 12, 14, the hybrid cable segmentsare inserted through end caps 24, 26. The end caps 24, 26 are, then,threaded onto the outer housings 20, 22 to clamp the hybrid cables andto seal it against the outer housings 20, 22.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the first inner housing half 32 is configuredto hold the fiber components of the connector 12 while the second innerhousing half 34 is configured to hold the electrical/copper componentsof the connector 12.

Now referring to FIGS. 5-9, the first inner housing half 32 of the firsthybrid fiber/copper connector 12 is illustrated. The first inner housinghalf 32 includes an elongated body 36 defining an interior 38. The body36 includes a mating end 40 and a cable receiving end 42. The firstinner housing half 32 defines a pair of alignment pins 44 and a pair ofpin openings 46 for cooperatively mating with the second inner housinghalf 34 (see second inner housing half 34 in FIGS. 11-15). Adjacent themating end 40 of the first inner housing half 32 is a pocket 48configured to carry a fiber optic adapter 50.

An adapter 50 configured to be placed within the first inner housing 32is shown in FIG. 10. As depicted, the fiber optic adapter 50 is a duplexadapter including a front end 52 and a rear end 54. Two fiber opticconnectors mounted into the front end 52 of the fiber optic adapter 50optically mate with two fiber optic connectors mounted into the rear end54 of the fiber optic adapter 50. As shown in FIG. 28, the fiber opticconnectors 56 that are received within the fiber optic adapter 50 areLX.5 format connectors. As depicted, the adapter 50 is configured toreceive and optically connect two pairs of LX.5 connectors 56. LX.5connectors and mating adapters are available from ADCTelecommunications, Inc. Other connector and adapter formats can also beused.

As shown in the end view in FIG. 31, the fiber optic adapter 50 includesshutters 58 adjacent the front and rear ends 52, 54 that pivot betweenan open position and a closed position. The shutters 58 are sized suchthat in the closed position, the shutters 58 block direct visualinspection through an open front end 52 or an open rear end 54. As aresult, in an event a fiber optic connector 56 is connected to one endof the fiber optic adapter 50, the closed shutter 58 on the opposite endprevents a technician from looking directly at light on the opposite endof the fiber optic adapter 50. Further details of the fiber opticadapter 50 and the fiber optic connectors 56 that are configured to beinserted into the adapter 50 are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,883,995and 6,142,676, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated hereinby reference.

The fiber optic adapter 50 includes a pair of flanges 60 on the sides ofthe adapter 50. The flanges 60 are received within recesses 62 definedin the first inner housing half 32.

Referring back to FIGS. 5-9, the mating end 40 of the body 36 of thefirst inner housing half 32, includes an exterior recessed portion 64defined on a first side 66 of the body 36. The recessed portion 64 isconfigured to act as a keying feature when the second hybridfiber/copper connector 14 is mated to the first hybrid fiber/copperconnector 12, as will be discussed in further detail below. In thismanner, the correct orientation of the mating ends of the first andsecond connectors 12, 14 are obtained when the two hybrid connectors 12,14 are mated.

FIGS. 11-15 illustrate the second inner housing half 34 of the first,female gender, hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. The second innerhousing half 34 is configured to house the copper components of thefirst hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. As shown, the second innerhousing half 34 includes an elongated body 68 defining an interior 70.The body 68 includes a mating end 72 and a cable receiving end 74.

The second inner housing half 34 includes a pair of alignment pins 76and a pair of pin openings 78 for cooperatively mating with thecorresponding pins 44 and openings 46 of the first inner housing half32.

The second inner housing half 34 includes an integrally formed conductorpin support 80 adjacent the mating end 72. The conductor pin support 80defines four channels 82. The channels 82 include therein fourconductive pins 84. The conductive pins 84 are shown in thecross-sectional view in FIG. 15 which is taken along line 15-15 of FIG.14. As depicted, each of the four conductive pins 84 includes two femaleends 86. The conductive pins 84 are generally permanently mounted withinthe pin support 80 and form a part of the second inner housing half 34.

As in the first inner housing half 32, the second inner housing half 34defines an exterior recessed portion 88 on a first side 90 of the pinsupport 80. The recess 88 is configured align with the recess 64 of thefirst inner housing half 32 when the two housing halves 32, 34 arejoined to define a big recess. The big recess acts as a keying featurewhen the first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12 is mated to the secondhybrid fiber/copper connector 14 such that the correct orientation ofthe mating ends of the first and second connectors 12, 14 are obtained.

The body 68 of the second inner housing half 34 includes an exteriorcircumferential groove 92. The body 68 also defines opposing slots 94positioned at each end of the circumferential groove 92. Thecircumferential groove 92 and the slots 94 accommodate a strength memberthat might be a part of a hybrid cable.

The interior 70 of the second inner housing half 34 is configured toreceive a conductor mount 96. The conductor mount 96 is shown in FIGS.16-18. The conductor mount 96 includes a generally hemispherical body 98configured to match the curved shape of the interior 70 of the secondinner housing half 34. The conductor mount 96, as depicted, includesfour forwardly protruding conductive pins 100. The forward ends 102 ofthe conductive pins 100 are adapted to be inserted within the channels82 defined by the pin support 80 at the mating end 72 of the secondinner housing half 34. As shown in FIG. 29, the conductor mount 96 isremovably inserted into a recess 104 in the interior 70 of the body 68and slid forwardly toward the pin support 80. The conductor mount 96 isslid until the conductive pins 100 physically and electrically mate withthe rear female ends 86 of the conductive pins 84 in the channels 82 ofthe pin support 80.

The rear ends 106 of the conductive pins 100 are exposed throughopenings 108 defined on the conductor mount 96. The rear ends 106 of theconductive pins 100 are terminated to copper wires of a hybridfiber/copper cable. Since the conductor mount 96 is a removable piece,the conductor mount 96 can be removed from the second inner housing half34 of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12 (i.e., female genderconnector) and reinserted into the second inner housing of the secondhybrid fiber/copper connector 14 (i.e., male gender connector) as partof the conversion of the genders of the hybrid connectors 12, 14.

The conductor mount 96 is retained within the second inner housing half34 by a conductor mount retainer 110 shown in FIGS. 19-23. As shown, theconductor mount retainer 110 includes an elongated body 112 with a frontportion 114, a rear portion 116 and a middle portion 118. The frontportion 114 defines a U-shaped body 120 with a pair of forwardlyextending legs 122, 123. Each leg 122, 123 defines a pair of flanges 124on the sides of the legs 122, 123. When the conductor mount retainer 110is placed into the second inner housing half 34, a rib 126 defined inthe interior 70 of the second inner housing half 34 is received betweenthe flanges 124. The rib 126 and the flanges 124 help hold the conductormount retainer 110 within the second inner housing half 34 with afriction fit.

The first leg 122 also defines a curved portion 126. The curved portion126 accommodates an alignment pin opening 78 defined in the second innerhousing half 34 when the conductor mount retainer 110 is slidablyinserted into the body 68 of the second inner housing half 34.

The middle portion 118 of the conductor mount retainer 110 includes arecess 130 for receiving a strength member clamp 132. The strengthmember clamp 132 is illustrated in FIGS. 24-27. The middle portion 118of the conductor mount retainer 110 defines a slot 134 for receiving atab 136 of the strength member clamp 132 for properly orientating theclamp 132. The strength member clamp 132 defines a throughhole 138extending laterally through its body 140. The strength member clamp 132defines a pair of laterally extending arms 142 that define a pocket 144thereinbetween. The strength member clamp 132 is shown inserted into therecess 130 of the middle portion 118 of the conductor mount retainer 110in FIG. 29.

Referring back to FIGS. 24-27, a strength member of a cable is to bereceived from the cable receiving end 28 of the first hybridfiber/copper connector 12. The strength member is inserted through anopening 146 created between the body 68 of the second inner housing half34 and the rear portion 116 of the conductor mount retainer 110. Thestrength member is, then, to be guided downwardly between the arms 142of the strength member clamp 132 and then upwardly and around thecircumferential groove 92. Once the strength member has been wrappedaround the circumferential groove 92, it is received into thethroughhole 138 of the strength member clamp 132 at the opposite side ofthe arms 142. The strength member, then, comes out of the throughhole138 between the arms 142 and is crimped at this location. The crimpedend of the strength member is held in the pocket 144 defined between thearms 142. According to one embodiment, the strength member clamp 132depicted herein is rated to hold 100 lbs. of force.

In FIGS. 28-29, the first and second inner housing halves 32, 34 areshown with the interior components inserted into the housing halves 32,34. As shown, the fiber optic adapter 50 in the first inner housing half32 receives a pair of fiber optic connectors 56 which may be terminatedto the optical fibers of a hybrid fiber/copper cable. During a genderconversion, these fiber optic connectors 56, just like the conductormount 96 of the second inner housing half 34, may be removed from thefiber optic adapter 50 and from the first inner housing half 32 andremounted within a first housing half of the second hybrid fiber/copperconnector 14 (i.e., male gender connector), to convert the gender of thehybrid fiber/copper connector. Such a male gender connector 14 havingtwo male inner housing halves are shown in FIG. 33. The fiber opticconnectors 56 and the fiber optic adapters 50 depicted in the presentdisclosure are described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,995,the entire disclosure of which has been incorporated herein byreference.

FIG. 30 illustrates the outer housing 20 of the first hybridfiber/copper connector 12. As discussed before, once the first and thesecond housing halves 32, 34 are joined, the inner connector assembly 16is slidable inserted into the outer housing 20 from a cable receivingend 28. FIGS. 31-32 show the first and second inner housing halves 32,34 of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12 placed into the outerhousing 20 of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12.

The outer circumferential wall 150 of the outer housing 20 includesgripping features 152. The mating end 154 of the outer housing 20includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged ball bearings 156.The ball bearings 156 at the mating end 154 are configured to engage acircumferential recess 158 defined on an intermediate circumferentialwall 160 of the outer housing 22 of the second hybrid fiber/copperconnector 14. When the outer housings 20, 22 of the two hybridconnectors 12, 14 are coupled, a sliding ring 162 of the outer housing22 of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 is slid over themating end 154 and the ball bearings 156 of the outer housing 20 of thefirst hybrid connector 12 to hold the two hybrid fiber/copper connectors12, 14 in a mated configuration. The sliding locking ring 162 of theouter housing 22 of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 and therecess 158 for receiving the ball bearings 156 is illustrated in FIGS.1-3 and 54. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the sliding ring 162 is shown as havingbeen slid over the ball bearings 156 of the outer housing 20 of thefirst hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. The sliding ring 162 is springbiased toward a locking position to hold the ball bearings 156 againstthe recess 158 on the intermediate circumferential wall 160 of the outerhousing 22 of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14.

As discussed previously, before a hybrid cable segment is to beterminated to the inner connector assembly 16 of the first hybridfiber/copper connector 12, the hybrid cable segment is inserted throughan end cap cable clamp 24. The end cap 24 is threadingly mated to thecable receiving end 28 of the outer housing 20 of the first hybridfiber/copper connector 12. As the end cap 24 is threaded, a collet 164within the end cap 24 is compressed by a tapered rear seal member 166.Please refer to FIG. 2 for a cross-sectional view of the end cap 24 andthe collet 164. As the collet 164 is compressed radially inwardly, itseals the cable jacket to the outer housing 20 of the first hybridfiber/copper connector 12. A similar cable clamp and operation thereofis described in further detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,575,786 and6,846,988, the entire disclosures of which have been incorporated hereinby reference.

Referring now to FIG. 33, an exploded view of the second, male gender,hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 is illustrated. The second hybridfiber/copper connector 14 includes a first inner housing half 170 and asecond inner housing half 172. The first and the second inner housinghalves 170, 172 detachably mate together to form the inner connectorassembly 18 of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14. Once thefirst and the second inner housing halves 170, 172 are mated andterminated to a hybrid cable, they are inserted into an outer housing 22of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14.

As in the first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12, the first innerhousing half 170 is configured to hold the fiber components of theconnector 14 while the second inner housing half 172 is configured tohold the electrical/copper components of the connector 14.

Now referring to FIGS. 34-38, the first inner housing half 170 of themale hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 is illustrated. The first innerhousing half 170 includes an elongated body 174 defining an interior 176including a mating end 178 and a cable receiving end 180. The firstinner housing half 170 defines a pair of alignment pins 182 and a pairof pin openings 183 for cooperatively mating with the second innerhousing half 172.

Adjacent the mating end 178 of the first inner housing half 170 are apair of longitudinal slots 184 configured to hold a pair of fiber opticconnectors 56. The fiber optic connectors 56 are inserted in aside-by-side orientation, extending out forwardly from the mating end178 of the first inner housing half 170. The longitudinal slots 184 areconfigured to align the fiber optic connectors 56 with the fiber opticadapter 50 of the first hybrid connector 12 when the two hybridconnectors 12, 14 are mated.

The first inner housing half 170 defines a forwardly protruding tab 186at the mating end 178 of the first inner housing half 170. The tab 186is located on a first side 188 of the body 174. The tab 186 isconfigured to mate with the recess 64 defined on the body 36 of thefirst inner housing half 32 of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector12 to act as a keying feature when the second hybrid fiber/copperconnector 14 is mated to the first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. Inthis manner, the correct orientation of the mating ends of the first andsecond connectors 12, 14 are obtained when the two hybrid connectors 12,14 are mated. As will be discussed below, the second inner housing half172 of the male hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 also includes aforwardly extending tab 190 that aligns with the tab 186 of the firstinner housing half 170. The two tabs 186, 190 together form a large tabthat engages the large recess defined on the combined inner housings 32,34 of the female hybrid connector 12. The two tabs 186, 190 also act toprotect the fiber optic connectors 56 as the tabs 186, 190 extendalongside of the fiber optic connectors 56.

A connector retainer 192 configured to be placed over the fiber opticconnectors 56 is shown in FIGS. 39-42. The connector retainer 192includes a generally flat body 194 that is adapted to lie flush with theupper face of the first inner housing half 170. It should be noted thatall of the components of the inner housing halves 32, 34, 170, 172 areconfigured to lie flush with the upper faces of the inner housing halves32, 34, 170, 172 so that different inner housing halves such as twofirst inner housing halves 32, 170 (of either the first or the secondhybrid fiber/copper connector) or two second inner housing halves 34,172 (of either the first or the second hybrid fiber/copper connector)can be mated to form different kinds of connectors. Two such exampleshave been shown in FIGS. 57 and 58, wherein two first inner housinghalves 32 of a female hybrid fiber/copper connector 12 have been joinedto form the female end of a quad fiber optic connector 200 and two firstinner housing halves 170 of a male hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 havebeen mated to form the male end of a quad fiber optic connector 202 thatis to mate with the female quad fiber connector 200. Other combinationconfigurations are certainly possible since all of the inner componentsare mounted flush with the upper faces of the inner housing halves 32,34, 170, 172.

Still referring to FIGS. 39-42, the connector retainer 192, as depicted,includes a pair of downwardly extending tabs 196 that are received intorecesses 198 formed on the first inner housing half 170 to frictionallyhold the connector retainer 192. The connector retainer 192 includes alongitudinal slot 193 at the front end for accommodating a separatorwall 191 that separates the two fiber optic connectors 56. Thelongitudinal slot 193 allows the connector retainer 192 to lie flushwith the inner housing half upper face.

Underneath the connector retainer 192, on each side of the longitudinalslot 193, is a pair of ramped tabs 195. The ramped tabs 195 areconfigured to hold down the cantilever snap fit structures 197 of thefiber optic connectors 56 such that the fiber optic connectors 56 do notlock into the fiber optic adapters 50 when the male and female hybridconnectors 12, 14 are mated. Please refer to U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,995,the entire disclosure of which has been incorporated herein byreference, for further description of the fiber optic connector 56depicted and the interlocking mechanism of the fiber optic connector 56and the fiber optic adapter 50.

The fiber optic connectors 56 that are inserted directly into the firstinner housing half 170 of the male hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 orthat are connected to the fiber optic adapter 50 within the first innerhousing half 32 of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector 12 areterminated to the optical fibers of a hybrid fiber/copper cable segment.In certain embodiments, the optical fibers of the cable segment may beterminated to the ferrules of the fiber optic connectors 56 as known inthe art.

In other embodiments, the fiber optic connectors 56 may befield-terminable. As such, the fiber optic connectors 56 may be providedwith a preterminated fiber stub that can be heat-spliced in the fieldusing a V-groove for aligning the fiber stub from the connector 56 andthe optical fiber coming from the hybrid cable. In certain otherembodiments, the fiber optic connectors 56 may be provided as part of aninsert that includes the V-groove, wherein optical fibers coming fromthe hybrid cable may be spliced to the fiber stubs in the fieldutilizing the V-groove for alignment. An example field terminationmethod is described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,323, theentire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Althoughheated epoxy may be used, other known techniques for field-splicing theoptical fiber ends can be utilized.

FIGS. 43-47 illustrate the second inner housing half 172 of the secondhybrid fiber/copper connector 14. The second inner housing half 172 isconfigured to house the copper components of the second, male, hybridfiber/copper connector 14. As shown, the second inner housing half 172includes an elongated body 204 defining an interior 206. The body 204includes a mating end 207 and a cable receiving end 208. Similar to thefirst inner housing half 170, the second inner housing half 172 includesa pair of alignment pins 210 and a pair of pin openings 212 forcooperatively mating with the corresponding pins 182 and openings 183 ofthe first inner housing half 170.

Adjacent the mating end 207 of the second inner housing half 172 is anintegrally formed conductor pin support 214. The conductor pin support214 defines four channels 216 for nesting four conductive pins 218. Theconductive pins 218 are shown in the cross-sectional view in FIG. 47which is taken along line 47-47 of FIG. 46. As depicted, each of thefour conductive pins 218 includes a female end 220 and a forwardlyprotruding male end 222. The conductive pins 218 are generallypermanently mounted within the pin support 214 and form a part of thesecond inner housing half 172.

As in the first inner housing half 170, at the mating end 206 of thesecond inner housing half 172, there is a tab 190 protruding forwardlydefined on a first side 226 of the body 204. The tab 190 is configuredto mate with the recess 88 defined on the body 68 of the second innerhousing half 34 of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector 12 to act asa keying feature when the second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 ismated to the first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. In this manner, thecorrect orientation of the mating ends of the first and secondconnectors 12, 14 are obtained when the two hybrid connectors 12, 14 aremated. The tab 190 aligns with the tab 186 of the first inner housinghalf 170 to form a large tab. The large tab engages the large recessdefined on the combined inner housings of the female hybrid fiber/copperconnector 12. As discussed above, the two tabs 186, 190 also act toprotect the fiber optic connectors 56 as the tabs 186, 190 extendalongside of the fiber optic connectors 56.

It should also be noted that, if two first inner housing halves 170 orif two second inner housing halves 172 of a male hybrid fiber/copperconnector 14 are mated to form, for example, a quad fiber opticconnector 202, the tabs 186 will be positioned diagonally from eachother and not aligned vertically with each other. Please see FIG. 58.This provides a keying feature for mating with, for example, a connectorformed from two first inner housing halves 32 or two second innerhousing halves 34 of a female hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. Pleasesee FIG. 57. The recesses 64 on the female hybrid fiber/copper connector12 also become positioned diagonally such that the tabs 186 of a quadmale 202 can only be mated with the recesses 64 of another mating quadfemale connector 200. Please see FIGS. 57 and 58 for the keying feature.

Still referring to FIGS. 43-47, the body 204 of the second inner housinghalf 172 includes an exterior circumferential groove 230. The body 204also defines opposing slots 232 positioned at each end of thecircumferential groove 230. The circumferential groove 230 and the slots232, as discussed above, accommodate a strength member that might be apart of a hybrid cable terminated to the male hybrid connector 14.

The interior 206 of the second inner housing half 172 is configured toreceive a conductor mount that is identical to the conductor mount 96shown in FIGS. 16-18. The forward ends 102 of the conductive pins 100are adapted to be inserted within the channels 216 defined by the pinsupport 214 at the mating end 207 of the second inner housing half 172.As shown in FIG. 49, the conductor mount 96 is inserted into a recess234 in the interior 206 of the body 204 and slid forwardly toward thepin support 214 until the conductive pins 100 physically andelectrically mate with the female ends 220 of the conductive pins 218that are in the channels 216 of the pin support 214. The male ends 222of the conductive pins 218 protrude out for electrically mating with thefemale ends 86 of the conductive pins 84 of the female hybridfiber/copper connector 12.

As in the female hybrid fiber/copper connector 12, the rear ends 106 ofthe conductive pins 100 are exposed through openings 108 defined on theconductor mount 96. The rear ends 106 of the conductive pins 100 areterminated to copper wires of a hybrid fiber/copper cable, just as inthe female hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. And, since the conductormount 96 can be removed from the second inner housing half 172 of thesecond hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 (i.e., male gender connector)and reinserted into the second inner housing half 34 of the first hybridfiber/copper connector 12 (i.e., female gender connector), the gender ofthe hybrid connector 14 can be converted.

The conductor mount 96 is retained within the second inner housing half172 by a conductor mount retainer 240 shown in FIGS. 48-51. Theconductor mount retainer 240 is similar to the conductor mount retainer110 of FIGS. 19-23. However, the conductor mount retainer 240 is shapedfor insertion into the male gender hybrid fiber/copper connector 14. Asshown, the conductor mount retainer 240 includes an elongated body 242with a front portion 244, a rear portion 246 and a middle portion 248.The front portion 244 defines a U-shaped body 250 with a pair offorwardly extending legs 252, 253. The first leg 252 defines a pair offlanges 254 on the side of the leg 252. The flanges 252 are configuredto receive a rib 256 on the interior 207 of the second inner housinghalf 172 for holding the conductor mount retainer 240 with a frictionfit within the body 204. The second leg 253 defines a curved portion 258for accommodating the alignment pin opening 212 defined in the secondinner housing half 172.

The middle portion 248 of the conductor mount retainer 240 includes arecess 260 for receiving a strength member clamp. The strength memberclamp used in the male hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 is the sameclamp 132 illustrated in FIGS. 24-27. The middle portion 248 of theconductor mount retainer 240 defines a slot 262 for receiving the tab136 of the strength member clamp 132 for proper orientation of the clamp132. As shown in FIG. 53, the strength member clamp 132 is inserted intothe recess 260 of the middle portion 248 of the conductor mount retainer240 so as to lie flush with the upper face of the second inner housinghalf 172.

As shown in FIG. 53, along with a tab 264 at the rear portion of theconductor mount retainer 240, the strength member clamp 132 defines arecess 266 for receiving a second rib 268 located in the interior 207 ofthe body 204 of the second inner housing half 172.

As in the female hybrid fiber/copper connector 12, the strength memberis inserted through an opening 270 created between the body 204 of thesecond inner housing half 172 and the rear portion of the conductormount retainer 240. The strength member is, then, guided downwardlybetween the arms 142 of the strength member clamp 132 and then upwardlyand around the circumferential groove. Once the strength member haswrapped around the circumferential groove 230, it is received into thethroughhole 138 of the strength member clamp 132 at the opposite side ofthe arms 142 and comes out of the throughhole 138 of the strength memberclamp 132. It is crimped in the pocket 144 defined between the arms 142.

In FIGS. 52 and 53, the first and second inner housing halves 170, 172are shown with the interior components inserted into the first andsecond inner housing halves 170, 172. As shown, the first inner housinghalf 170 receives a pair of fiber optic connectors 56 which may beterminated to the optical fibers of a hybrid fiber/copper cable. Thesefiber optic connectors 56 are retained by the connector retainer 192 andthe cantilever snap fit structures 197 are held down to prevent lockingof the fiber optic connectors 56 within the fiber optic adapter 50 ofthe female hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. These fiber opticconnectors 56, just like the conductor mount 96 of the second innerhousing half 172, may be removed from the first inner housing half 170of the male hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 and remounted within afirst housing half 32 of a female hybrid fiber/copper connector 12 (tothe fiber optic adapters therein), to convert the gender of the hybridfiber/copper connector 14. Such a female gender connector 12 and the twoinner housing halves are shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 54 illustrates the outer housing 22 of the second hybridfiber/copper connector 14. As discussed before, once the first and thesecond housing halves 170, 172 are joined, the inner connector assembly18 is slidably inserted into the outer housing 22 from a cable receivingend 30. FIGS. 55-56 show the first and second inner housing halves 170,172 of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 placed into the outerhousing 22 of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14.

When the outer housings 20, 22 of the two hybrid connectors are coupled,a sliding ring 162 of the outer housing 22 of the second hybridfiber/copper connector 14 is slid over the mating end 154 and the ballbearings 156 of the outer housing 20 of the first hybrid connector 12 tohold the two hybrid fiber/copper connectors 12, 14 in a matedconfiguration. The sliding locking ring 162 of the outer housing 22 ofthe second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14 and the recess 158 forreceiving the ball bearings 156 is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 and 54. InFIGS. 1 and 2, the sliding ring 162 is shown as having been slid overthe ball bearings 156 of the outer housing 20 of the first hybridfiber/copper connector 12. The sliding ring 162 is spring biased towarda locking position to hold the ball bearings 156 against the recess 158on the intermediate circumferential wall 160 of the outer housing 22 ofthe second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14.

As discussed previously for the female hybrid fiber/copper connector 12,before the hybrid cable is to be terminated to the inner connectorassembly 18 of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector 14, the hybridcable is inserted through an end cap cable clamp 26. As depicted, thecable clamps 24, 26 and the cable receiving ends 28, of the outerhousings 20, 22 of the hybrid connectors include wrench flat portionwith a plurality of opposing wrench flats 280 to aid the assembly ofcable clamps 24, 26 to outer the housings 20, 22. As shown on FIGS. 2-3,30, and 54, the cable receiving ends 28, 30 of the outer housings 20, 22may be threaded to receive and engage the cable clamps 24, 26.

In another embodiment of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly,instead of being provided to connect two cable segments, the firsthybrid fiber/copper connector 12 or the second hybrid fiber/copperconnector 14 can be provided as part of a bulkhead configuration such asseen in FIGS. 8-11 of U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US2006/0056769 A1 and US 2006/0233496 A1, the entire disclosures of whichhave been incorporated herein by reference.

In a bulkhead version of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly, theouter housings of the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectorsmay be provided with mounting flanges such as shown in FIGS. 8-11 ofU.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US 2006/0056769 A1 and US2006/0233496 A1, for mounting the hybrid fiber/copper connectors to abulkhead. Openings defined through the flanges receive removablefasteners such as screws which engage fastener openings of the bulkhead.

The bulkhead may form part of any equipment, such as a camera, anenclosure, a cabinet, a panel, etc. Cables from within, for example, acamera or any other equipment, of which the bulkhead may form part of,enter into the cable receiving end of the hybrid fiber/copperconnectors. The hybrid cable, which will have terminated thereto fiberoptic connectors 56 and a conductor mount 96, is coupled to the innerhousing halves of the hybrid fiber/copper connectors as described abovefor the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors 12, 14. Itshould be noted that the connector protruding out from the bulkhead maybe a female hybrid fiber/copper connector such as connector 12 or it maybe a male hybrid fiber/copper connector such as connector 14. When afemale hybrid fiber/copper connector is used with the bulkhead, thefiber optic connectors 56 terminated to a hybrid cable coming fromwithin the bulkhead equipment will be connected to the fiber opticadapters 50 inside the first inner housing half of the first hybridfiber/copper connector. The conductor mount 96 that is terminated to thehybrid cable coming from within the bulkhead equipment will be directlyinserted into the second inner housing half of the female hybridfiber/copper connector and will mate with the pins 84 within the pinsupport 80.

In assembling the bulkhead versions, the same steps can be followed asdescribed above for the non bulkhead versions of the female hybridfiber/copper connector 12. Once assembled, the female bulkhead hybridfiber/copper connector will be ready to mate with a male hybridfiber/copper connector 14 such as shown in FIG. 33 of the presentdisclosure.

If a male hybrid fiber/copper connector is used with the bulkhead, thefiber optic connectors 56 terminated to a hybrid cable coming fromwithin the bulkhead equipment are directly inserted into the first innerhousing half of the second (i.e., male) hybrid fiber/copper connector.The conductor mount 96 that is terminated to the hybrid cable comingfrom within the bulkhead equipment is directly inserted into the secondinner housing half of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector and mateswith the pins 218 within the pin support 214.

In assembling the bulkhead version, the same steps can be followed asdescribed above for the non bulkhead versions of the male hybridfiber/copper connector 14. Once assembled, the male bulkhead hybridfiber/copper connector will be ready to mate with a female hybridfiber/copper connector 12 such as shown in FIG. 4 of the presentdisclosure.

Since both hybrid connectors 12, 14 are constructed in modular form withremovable portions, repair or replacement of a damaged component isachieved. It is known for one or more information carrying elementswithin a hybrid cable or the connectors terminating these elements (suchas fiber optic connectors and pin conductors) to be damaged,necessitating repair or replacement of the hybrid fiber/copper connectorassembly. While replacement is possible and is the common response todamage, this solution requires a camera operator to carry an entirespare assembly. Alternatively, to repair a damaged termination, eitherconnector of cable segment could be removed and that cable segment couldbe reterminated. However, retermination is time consuming and isdifficult to accomplish in the field, where the damage is likely tooccur while using the camera. Assembly of the present invention isconstructed to permit individual elements of cable or terminations ofthese elements to be replaced in the field by a camera operator withsimple tools and does not require that the camera operator carry anextensive array of replacement items.

For example, if one of the fiber strands within cable in cable segmentbecomes damaged, and the camera operator can identify the damagedstrand, the camera operator may loosen the cable clamp, remove the firstand second inner housing halves 32, 34 from the outer housing 20 of, forexample, the first hybrid fiber/copper connector 12. With interior ofthe inner connector assembly 16 exposed, the fiber connector 56terminating the damaged fiber may be removed from adapter 50 within thefirst inner housing half 32 and moved to one side. A replacement fibersegment, such as a patch cord including ends terminated with fiber opticconnectors 56 may be used.

A similar process may be followed to replace a damaged copper pinconductor.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the inventive aspects of thepresent disclosure. Since many embodiments of the inventive aspects canbe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure,the inventive aspects reside in the claims hereinafter appended.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly comprising: a first hybrid fiber/copper connector including a first housing with a mating end and a cable entry end; and a second hybrid fiber/copper connector including a second housing with a mating end that is adapted to mate with the mating end of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector and a cable entry end; wherein the first hybrid fiber/copper connector includes at least one fiber optic adapter removably mounted within the first housing adjacent the mating end, an electrical pin stationarily mounted within the first housing adjacent the mating end, and at least one electrical pin carried by a conductor mount that is removably mounted within the first housing adjacent the mating end, the electrical pin of the removable conductor mount configured to make electrical contact with the electrical pin stationarily mounted within the first housing; wherein the second hybrid fiber/copper connector includes at least one fiber optic connector removably mounted within the second housing adjacent the mating end, an electrical pin stationarily mounted within the second housing adjacent the mating end, and at least one electrical pin conductor carried by a conductor mount that is removably mounted within the second housing adjacent the mating end, the electrical pin of the removable conductor mount configured to make electrical contact with the electrical pin stationarily mounted within the second housing; wherein the fiber optic connector of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector is configured to mate with the fiber optic adapter of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector and the electrical pin conductor carried by the removably mounted conductor mount of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector is adapted to electrically mate with the electrical pin conductor carried by the removably mounted conductor mount of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector.
 2. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical pin conductor carried by the removably mounted conductor mount of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector electrically mates with the electrical pin conductor carried by the removably mounted conductor mount of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector through the stationarily mounted electrical pins of the first and the second hybrid fiber/copper connectors.
 3. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic connector is an LX.5 format connector.
 4. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors is configured to receive two fiber optic terminations and four electrical terminations.
 5. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the removably mounted conductor mounts of the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors are identically configured.
 6. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the first and the second hybrid fiber/copper connectors includes a cable strength member clamp.
 7. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors includes an end cap adapted to mate with the cable entry end of the outer housings, the end cap including a cable clamp with a throughhole for receiving a cable, the cable clamp configured to radially clamp the cable to the outer housings once the cable has been received through the hole of the end cap.
 8. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the second housing of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector includes a sliding ring that slides longitudinally to lock the first housing of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector to the second hybrid fiber/copper connector.
 9. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the first housing of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector includes circumferentially arranged ball bearings for providing a locking fit with the second housing of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector.
 10. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic adapter is a duplex adapter.
 11. A hybrid fiber/copper connector comprising: a first housing with a mating end and a cable entry end, at least one fiber optic adapter removably mounted within the first housing adjacent the mating end; an electrical pin stationarily mounted within the first housing adjacent the mating end; and at least one electrical pin carried by a conductor mount that is removably mounted within the first housing adjacent the mating end, the electrical pin of the removable conductor mount configured to make electrical contact with the electrical pin stationarily mounted within the first housing.
 12. The connector of claim 11, wherein the fiber optic adapter is configured to received an LX.5 format fiber optic connector.
 13. The connector of claim 11, wherein the hybrid fiber/copper connector is configured to receive two fiber optic terminations and four electrical terminations.
 14. The connector of claim 11, further comprising a cable strength member clamp.
 15. A hybrid fiber/copper connector comprising: a first housing with a mating end and a cable entry end, at least one fiber optic connector removably mounted within the first housing adjacent the mating end; an electrical pin stationarily mounted within the first housing adjacent the mating end; and at least one electrical pin carried by a conductor mount that is removably mounted within the first housing adjacent the mating end, the electrical pin of the removable conductor mount configured to make electrical contact with the electrical pin stationarily mounted within the first housing.
 16. The connector of claim 15, wherein the fiber optic connector is an LX.5 format fiber optic connector.
 17. The connector of claim 15, wherein the hybrid fiber/copper connector is configured to receive two fiber optic terminations and four electrical terminations.
 18. The connector of claim 15, further comprising a cable strength member clamp. 